The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Jeffrey Mountevans, is this Wednesday scheduled to lead a business delegation to Zambia in order to strengthen bilateral trade between Zambia and the UK.

He will be in Lusaka from 25 to 27 February and his visit will help to make sure London and the UK remain the regional partner of choice when it comes to financial and professional services.

Speaking ahead of his trip, where he will be joined by City firms, Lord Mayor Jeffrey Mountevans, said: “Building partnership between our two countries is the main goal of my visit this week. I want to make sure that the City of London and the rest of the UK are Zambia’s first thought when they want to do business.

“Bilateral trade between Zambia and the UK, which has reached record levels, is expected to continue with its strong growth. And while the country is the UK’s sixth largest export market in sub Saharan Africa, I think we can and should be building on this over the years and the prime objective of my visit is to do just this,” he said.

The Lord Mayor will be meeting with senior members of the government, central bank, investment authorities, regulators and business leaders. Other notable events he will take part in include: Touring the Lusaka Stock Exchange followed by a roundtable discussion on the challenges around growing Zambia’s capital market. He is also expected to attend a meeting between the Securities Exchange Commission of Zambia and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) on benchmark qualifications and professional standards and the growth of the Zambian capital market.

Additionally, he will be meeting and speaking to members from the British Chamber of Commerce; the World Bank Group; the Industrial Development Corporation and will be guest at a conference with the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and local companies on the business environment and the challenges and opportunities in Zambia.

Speaking after attending a Private dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor and Lord Mayoress at the Mansion House, the official residence during the Mayoral Year, High Commissioner for Zambia to the United Kingdom Mr. Muyeba Chikonde said that the Lord Mayor’s visit to Zambia affirms the growing bilateral relations between Zambia and the United Kingdom and also asserts Zambia’s position as one of the most preferred investment destinations in Africa. “What remains is for us Zambians to harness, cherish and promote this potential by telling the world Zambia’s good story” he said.

The roles of the Lord Mayor (Jeffrey Evans) and the Mayor of London (Boris Johnson MP) are often confused by many. They are complementary but have a completely different remit in that The Lord Mayor acts as ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services and promotes the City of London as a place to do business while the Mayor of London is responsible for the strategic governance of Greater London.

The Lord Mayor is head of the City of London’s authority for one year and the position is unpaid but it is an exceptionally demanding role. He spends some 90 days abroad and addresses some 10,000 people face-to-face each month (making around 800 speeches a year).

The Lord Mayor represents City businesses and helps the City Corporation advise the Government of the day on what is needed to help the financial services sector to function well. He frequently travels to represent the City; and travels overseas with the status of a Cabinet Minister. The overseas trips provide an opportunity to meet several international Heads of Government and Business each month to discuss financial services, often in conjunction with senior City business representatives.

Joint Statement Issued by Abigail Chaponda, First Secretary- Press and Public Relations and Henry Tanner, Senior Media Officer, City of London Corporation